1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system reset circuit and a method thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system reset circuit and a method for resetting the system automatically according to the operation state of the system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Systems are usually controlled by means of processes for executing certain operations and functions. In a case where the system has entered a lockup state due to an abnormal operation of a program, it is routine for a user to reset the system manually by pushing a reset button or a power button provided outside of the system.
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram illustrating a reset circuit according to the related art.
Referring to FIG. 1, a system is depicted under the assumption of a low reset state. If a reset switch 110 is in the off state, this denotes that the power source is not connected to ground, such that power is supplied to the reset node of the system 130 via the pull-up resister 120. Accordingly, the system 130 operates in a normal state. If the reset switch 110 is pushed by the user in the normal state, the power is bypassed to the ground node via the pull-up resister 120 and the reset switch 110. As a consequence, the ground potential is induced to the reset node, and thus the system 130 executes the operation for system initialization.
However, the system reset method of the related art has disadvantages in view of user convenience because, when a program enters the lockup state, the user has to reset the system with the external reset button. More particularly, when the system slows down for processing a large amount of data, the user is likely to misunderstand the system slow-down as the lockup state, resulting in resetting the system unnecessarily.
Therefore, a need exists for a system reset circuit and a method that is capable of detecting system lockup and resetting the system automatically when the system lockup is detected.